Not long ago, I found myself talking with several clients about a trend I felt would truly impact their business. Social Sharing. There’s no brilliance to identifying this as a meaningful trend, we see social sharing everywhere. In the real world and most recently on networks as people not only share what they are doing, but what they are reading, listening to, and even purchasing.

I’ve made suggestions multiple times to whoever would listen that they should take another look at their website and integrate social sharing (beyond content and more toward commerce). For example, if you are even considering buying a product, you should be able to tell your friends about it. If you booked a vacation or a hotel room with a view—same thing. If you recommend a product or service you should be able to broadcast that across your entire social network (and not just one) directly from the site.

Social networks have turned people into bragging machines. It’s not the most appealing human trait, but spend time on them and this is a significant portion of how people share. We want others to know when we do something that makes us feel good. So why don’t we see more of this integration in transactional Web experiences? See Sears for example:

In this example, Sears allows a participant to share products they are interested in on Facebook. They can also do reviews of products and share those. The benefit for Sears is a very potent form of “social marketing” in that they get their product right into the main feed of a user and their friends/connections are likely to see it. It’s more word of mouth than it is advertising.

So why aren’t there more examples like this across the Web from major brands? It takes several “departments” to make something like this happen. Here are a few:

Legal

IT

Marketing

Social

It also takes the commitment of a senior leader within an organization to say “go make this happen”. In nearly every conversation I find myself in with professionals in the industry, the struggle to define “social ROI” (return on investment) becomes a roadblock to innovation.

If you really want to connect the dots between social integration and purchase intent then please steal this idea and integrate social sharing to your products and services on your sites. Figure out how to do it and make it happen. And figure out how to track the links back to your site. You’ll be one step closer to solving the “ROI” question in social business integration. Have you seen any great examples from big brands here? Share in the comments.

I think Spotify is an excellent example of how social sharing is taking on a completely new persona. “Music” on Facebook is mostly generated from automatic sharing from Spotify (granted, R.dio and others are also included in the service). The music function is taking on as much of a life of its own as status updates. Finally! The digital music industry is becoming social because of “social sharing” and the way it lends itself to sampling and discovery.

Speaking of Facebook, the new “Subscribe” feature is empowering users to step up to a new platform and truly become influencers (the same influencer-node hierarchy we see on twitter, youtube, etc…) – so how much more important will sharing become!

http://sixtwo.org juanito

disagree. as long as spotify remains (stupidly) dependent on facebook for its “social” component it will not be good at sharing. which, as of now at least, it is not.

fact.

Anonymous

Can you expand on why? I think it makes sense to integrate with a social network that people are already using than try and have them migrate to yet another. And the integration is both in-app and online on the Facebook site. I’d like to know why you think there’s a better way, and what that might look like. Also, I hope I don’t sound snarky, I really would like to know your thinking.

http://sixtwo.org juanito

no no not snarky at all! convo is good.

Here’s the deal, aka: my feelings on this – I take general issue with the blind assumption that ‘everyone is on fb”. that simply is NOT the case. Even more so for the ‘early adopter’ tech weirdos (that’d be us). What I am saying is that just because “everyone is on fb” that doesn’t mean “everyone is on fb.

So just as with PSFK’s site, and many others using the FB social plug in only, unless you use fb you can’t comment. This is narrow minded and short sighted. Look at how the BBH Labs page does it. They use the social plug in and and open ID. Just as we are using here! Zing! If Edelman only used the fb social plugin we would be having this convo.

So apply that to the awesomeness that is spotify, Alas, no fb no share.

I’m not the only one that feels this way, I’ve had this convo with many others on many occasions for whatever that’s worth. No one wants to be forced or excluded and solutioning around that fb force surely wouldn’t be difficult. There are many API’s out there. A better strategy is needed.

Say what you want about Turntable and Canv.as forcing fb auth for beta access, I think it’s plain old dumb and limiting.

Anonymous

Okay, okay, I can definitely appreciate your sentiments on that one. It’s definitely true, Facebook isn’t the end-all social network. However, when I think about it in the context of social sharing, OpenID, for instance, does nothing for my cause. Facebook’s infrastructure is designed for that very purpose. Twitter has retweets, but Facebook’s “reshare” feature allows for videos, pictures, links to all be shared in a way that attracts attention. When a user is scrolling through their news feed, they’re certain to have their eye land on a 250×300 picture moreso than a block of text (side note: dimensions are totally ballparked on that)

Speaking in general terms, I would agree that Spotify could offer a more fleshed out standalone social profile (because Spotify accounts are already separate from Facebook accounts), but, like I said before, when it comes to sampling and discovery, social sharing via Facebook and Twitter are “spot” on. (Pardon the pun). Also, I should menton that songs can be shared via a song/artist/playlist/user-specific link that redirects to Spotify.

http://sixtwo.org juanito

I agree, once it gets into fb’s web it ‘has legs’ as it were. It’s just why invest the entirety of your strategy on fb only? Aside from the usual cut and paste share link option you rightly bring up.

It’s just this, make it easy for me. Give me options, don’t tell me what I have to do. It’s not that the social universe really is that vast. What are we talking really, twitter, fb, and now g+ and that about covers it. Look at how instagram handles it. Boom done but………

So were options ever really realistic? Prob not, things like that huge a move have been in the works for sometime.

Anonymous

Ouch, great article. Very unfortunate and an odd decision. “Make things more seamless” sounds like fluff to me. But I also wonder just how much it affects their profitability. Lose some hundred users to gain a million more? It doesn’t sound very customer centric, but I’m more than sure there was a monetary motivator there. Still, respect for users separates the lame from the great.

http://sixtwo.org juanito

no no not snarky at all! convo is good.

Here’s the deal, aka: my feelings on this – I take general issue with the blind assumption that ‘everyone is on fb”. that simply is NOT the case. Even more so for the ‘early adopter’ tech weirdos (that’d be us). What I am saying is that just because “everyone is on fb” that doesn’t mean “everyone is on fb.

So just as with PSFK’s site, and many others using the FB social plug in only, unless you use fb you can’t comment. This is narrow minded and short sighted. Look at how the BBH Labs page does it. They use the social plug in and and open ID. Just as we are using here! Zing! If Edelman only used the fb social plugin we would be having this convo.

So apply that to the awesomeness that is spotify, Alas, no fb no share.

I’m not the only one that feels this way, I’ve had this convo with many others on many occasions for whatever that’s worth. No one wants to be forced or excluded and solutioning around that fb force surely wouldn’t be difficult. There are many API’s out there. A better strategy is needed.

Say what you want about Turntable and Canv.as forcing fb auth for beta access, I think it’s plain old dumb and limiting.

juanito

Still, respect for users separates the lame from the great. – definitely. that’s what it’s all about. cheers!

http://www.reactorr.com/blog/ Mark Nicholson

I’ve wondered what the stats are these days. Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li created aSocial Technographics report a few years ago that discussed the different segments of social participation (creators, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and inactives) and I’ve wondered a few times since then just how much more we engage and share on average since the study was done.

http://darmano.typepad.com davidarmano

I think sharing is a lower form of participation. Anyone can do it (see the content field) and that’s the model. Can brands empower stakeholders comfortable with varying degrees of sharing options by actually presenting them with the opportunity to share in a relevant way. I’m just surprised at how little I see it. For example, if I’m looking at a cool T-shirt I might consider buying, I may want to get my friends opinions on it before pulling the trigger.

http://twitter.com/Ponzie Steve Pons

Hi David,
How do you think this would apply in a B2B space?
Would individuals buying goods for companies find value in sharing those purchases? The examples given here are sharing purchases with friends but is purchasing a branded t-shirt to be used as a giveaway at a company event something that there is value in sharing at the time of purchase?
I think there’s something there but struggle if people would WANT to share that in a B2B space within their organization.
Thanks and interesting post!

http://www.greenmatterthoughts.com KevinMGreen

The fact that this is such a common user behavior now, it’s shocking that retailers haven’t innovated to accommodate prospective consumers. Just the other day I asked my entire network what stroller and car seats they recommended based on their experience. I received hundreds of responses and recommendations, but I then had to do all of the research myself. It was also just easier to ask the question via a status update vs. sharing potential options I was considering. Retailers need to combine the consideration and research behaviors of potential customers with the ability to solicit feedback and support from their trusted networks. I would have liked to easily share what I was considering with my network and ask specific questions from the retailers site rather than jumping from site to site.

It’s an exciting time though… innovation is definitely coming.

Jeff Willinger

Thanks for sharing David! I struggle with sharing being a part of a professional services firm…in the technology, collaboration space…any ideas?

Mike D

Being a social media innovator for your entrepreneurial enterprise puts you ahead of the competition and gives you the most Klout in the arena of online merchants whether Sears , Direct Buy or the local 5ndime on a mainstreet within 5 mile radius of Walmt. Click Like says Mike.

Emma

As a company this is something we wish to implement- however there seems to be very little advice on actually how to do it? Can anyone shed any light?